Household and industrial spots and stains are unattractive and can damage paint finishes on household surfaces, automobiles, trucks, machines, wood, siding, and other surfaces. It is desirable to clean these types of stains in an economical manner. Many spray cleaners have limited contact times because they tend to run down the surface and/or the solvent may evaporate, with the concomitant result of limited contact time.
The limited contact time of other cleaners decreases their effectiveness because the active ingredients are not given enough time to break down the stain. As a result of the limited contact time, numerous applications are required to clean the stain. Moreover, because other cleaners run, the stain can be spread, and streaks may be left even after the cleaning.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,315,828, to Church describes a use of a cleaning compound composed mainly of water and a minor cleaning component such as ammonium hydroxide or a lower alcohol.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,330,673, to Bayless describes the use of a cleaning compound that is composed of 80-97.5% d-Limonene and 2.5-20% of cocamide DEA/dihexyl sodium sulfosuccinate.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,525,254, to Reininger describes a use of a cleaning compound that is composed mainly of toluene and xylene.
The present invention is directed to a cleaner that is expelled from the container in gelatinous form, which, upon contact with a surface, is capable of retaining its gelatinous form. The sprayable gel cleaning solution is atomized during spraying, thereby allowing the spayed solution to contact a larger surface area. The ability of the gel solution to atomize during spraying offers the user of the product to benefit from different spraying options. For example, the user of the sprayable gel solution may set the sprayer nozzle on a stream setting to allow the solution to contact only limited portion of the surface. Alternatively, the spray nozzle can be adjusted to spray the atomized gel solution onto a wider surface area.
The gel material of the present invention is advantageous in that instead of evaporating quickly or running off, it allows extended contact time with the dirty and/or stained surface, thereby more quickly and effectively breaking down the stain and cleaning the surface. The sprayable gel cleaning solution disclosed herein is more effective than conventional liquid cleaning solutions. Conventional liquid cleaning solutions break up a stain, however, when the user wipes up the stained area, the stain tends to spread into cracks and crevices. Therefore, a second application of the liquid solution may often be necessary to completely remove the stain and clean the surface that has been effected. The present invention, because it is in a gelatinous form, dissolves the stain and holds the stain in the gel formulation. As a result, when the stain-holding solution is wiped up, the stain is not spread over the surface, into cracks and crevices. Therefore, the present invention allows for easier and more efficient cleaning of a stained surface and minimizes the need for second and subsequent applications of the solution to completely clean the stained area. It is to meet this and other heretofore unmet needs that the present invention is directed.